Kensington

Match your intellect against the Computer Kensington Program. Construct shapes which frustrate and defeat the computer as it tries to overwhelm you on a grid of triangles, squares and hexagons.

Develop your skill in this famous game of strategy and tactics as you progress through the levels from novice to expert.

Enjoy hours of high-quality entertainment in full colour and sound while you or your friends play against the Kensington Program or each other.

Introduction

Kensington is a game of strategy, skill and logic played on an area consisting of a regular pattern of adjoining triangles, squares, and hexagons. The object of the game is to try and occupy all 6 points of a white hexagon or a hexagon of one's own colour. The first player to do this wins!!

Play starts with the playing area empty, and proceeds through 2 stages - placing stones on the board and moving stones already placed. Completing occupation of a square or a triangle provides one player with an opportunity to disrupt another's efforts. Although the rules are few, simple and easy to learn, the game can be played at many skill levels.

Computer Kensington is a sophisticated and entertaining computer program which allows you to play Kensington on or against your computer. The program can provide you with an opponent whose skill level can be set to suit your own ability.

All you need is the Computer Kensington program and your BBC/B computer system. The program provides an “on-screen" board and all the facilities of the board game - you can even play using the board game while the program supplies a worthy opponent!

The Computer Kensington program can play at 3 different skill levels - suitable for novice, intermediate and experienced players. Computer Kensington is already fully programmed for you - the only computer operation required is the LOADing of the program from cassette or floppy disk.

Rules For Playing Kensington

The playing area is a pattern of adjoining triangles, squares and hexagons. There are three types of hexagons: Red, Blue and White. The object of the game is to capture a hexagon of your own colour or White.

The Red player has fifteen red stones. The Blue player has fifteen Blue stones. Phase one begins with both players' stones off the board. Players place their own coloured stones onto the corner points of any triangle, square or hexagon in alternate turns of play until all are in position. In Phase Two each player moves one of his own stones along a line to a neighbouring point at each turn of play

Rules that relate to both Phase One and Phase Two.

1. A stone may only be placed on a corner point.
2. No point may be occupied by more than one stone.
3. If by occupying a point a player takes control of all three points of a triangle the player can reposition one of his opponent's stones.
4. If by occupying a point a player takes control of all four points of a square, the player can reposition two of his opponents stones.
5. If by occupying a point a player simultaneously takes control of both a square and a triangle he can only reposition two of his opponents stones.
6. If a triangle or square is formed the opponents stone(s) must be moved immediately.
7. If when moving an opponents stone a square or triangle is formed in the opponents colour, the Rules 3 to 6 apply
8. The first player to take control of all six points of a white hexagon or a hexagon of his own colour is the winner.
9. If a player is unable to make a legal move, his opponent continues until the former is able to do so once again or until the game is won.
10. Draws can only be reached by agreement. Optional Rule It is not permitted for a player to rebuild a triangle or square until his second turn of play following the break up of the original shape. Advice for new Kensington Players One should keep in mind that a game is won by taking control of a hexagon and not just by continuously repositioning ones opponents stones.

Loading Computer Kensington

Loading from Cassette:

1. Set up and connect your BBC/B computer and cassette unit according to the instructions in the User Manual. Switch on the BBC/B.
2. Insert the Computer Kensington program cassette in the cassette unit and make sure it is completely rewound to the beginning
3. Type in CHAIN "KEN" and press the RETURN key. The computer answers with 'searching'and you must respond by pressing the PLAY key on the cassette unit.
4. While the Computer Kensington program is loading, the program titles display. When the first prompt appears, press the STOP key on the Cassette Unit, remove the cassette and keep it safe for next time.

Playing Computer Kensington

1. LOAD the Computer Kensington program by following the appropriate instructions.
2. The program will prompt you for a player's name. Simply type up to 5 letters of the player's name and press the RETURN key on the right-hand side of the keyboard.
3. The entry of the player's name is followed by a request for a play level. If the computer is to be this player then press one of the keys 1 – 3 at the top of the keyboard for the appropriate skill level. If this is not a computer player, then press RETURN.
4. The computer repeats the prompt for the next player's name and skill level.
5. The Computer Kensington program follows with a series of YES/NO questions which can be answered with one keystroke (y for yes and N for no). Each question has a default value (which is shown below in brackets and is entered by simply pressing RETURN).
   
   The questions are described below: -
   i) Are you using a colour television? (Y)
   The Computer Kensington program substitutes special shadings for the blue and red hexagon colours to enable play on a black and white television set. It always assumes a colour television to start with (this is also the default).
   
   ii) Do you want to watch me thinking? (Y)
   While the computer chooses its play, it is possible to see its thoughts" as it tries and evaluates different moves.
   
   iii) Do you want sound effects? (Y)
   Although you can switch the television sound off, the program does then appear to pause while producing sounds. The N reply ensures that there are no apparent delays due to sound generation.
   
   iv) Are you also using a Kensington board? (N)
   If you are using a Kensington board, the program expects to have you place and move its stones on the board as directed.
   
   v) Are you playing the 2-move option? (Y)
   The 2-move option means that two complete moves must elapse before a player can rebuild a square or triangle.
6. The last prompt deals with the speed at which the program places stones on the board - not the time it takes "thinking". The speed can be varied from 0 (fastest) to 9 (slowest) – if you are watching the Computer Kensington program "thinking" then 3 or 4 are good values to try.

The Play

1. The program prompts you to choose your colour and draws a stone to choose the first player.
2. The current player's pile of stones and name are displayed at the bottom left of the screen. If you are playing with a board, then the current player's name is displayed, but only the program's stones will appear.
3. Play alternates between the players, and if you wish to stop at any time simply press the ESCAPE key. This will immediately stop the game and you will have an opportunity to start a fresh game.
4. Placing stones. When it is your turn to place a stone on the board, a cursor (•) will appear on the upper left-hand corner of the topmost square. The cursor can be directed to the point where you want to place your stone using the following keys:
   
   
   
   Each key represents a move to the nearest corner point in the direction indicated by the arrows above. After moving to the point where the stone is to be placed, pressing RETURN will put your stone on the board.
5. Moving an opponent's stone. The program will recognise the completion of a triangle or square and provide you with a second cursor identical to the first. However, this time you must position the cursor over one of your opponents' stones rather than an empty point - pressing RETURN identifies the piece as the opponent's stone you wish to reposition.
   
   The cursor remains on the board and you must move it to the point where the repositioned stone can be placed - once again pressing RETURN identifies the new position - and the program repositions the opposing piece.
   
   If you had completed a triangle, the program will prompt you to reposition another opposing stone.
6. Moving one of your stones. At the start of your move, the Computer Kensington program will place a cursor at the upper left-hand corner of the topmost square. Using the cursor direction keys described above, move the cursor until it is positioned over the stone you wish to move. Pressing RETURN will identify the stone to the program. Now move along a line to the adjacent point you wish to occupy and press RETURN - the program will reposition your stone.

At The End Of A Game

1. The Computer Kensington program recognises the end of the game by the completion of an appropriate hexagon.
2. When the end has been reached, the program announces the name of the winner and displays a suitable message.
3. You then have the opportunity to play again with the same players and levels.

Loading

Tape: CHAIN"" (RETURN)
Disc: SHIFT-BREAK